A Day In The Life Of A Jedi Family Man
by Ceillean
Summary: Kyp Durron and Jaina Solo have three totally normal kids. And Jaina's gone on vacation, leaving Kyp to deal with the fam on his own. Here's a peak at just one day...


His green eyes fluttered open as his brain slowly began to comprehend the silly dream he had been having. Kyp's youngest daughter had been humming an annoying children's song the day before and his subconscious had made one hell of an ugly Kowakian Monkey Lizard sit atop a large tree, singing the song over and over and over again.

Sighing he sat up, leaning against the head board of his bed, longingly patting the empty space beside him. He heaved a sigh, reminding himself that his wife would soon be returning from a well earned vacation he had given her as a gift.

She had been gone for almost a week and he had been forced to be the family man, taking a leave of absence from the Jedi Order and trying his best not to lose his sanity.

He rubbed his eyes, throwing the covers aside and stretching his tired muscles. Here and there he heard soft popping sounds and again wished his wife was there to give him one of her splendid massages.

Stifling a yawn and walking on tiptoes, he made his way through the hall, first stopping at Thena's door. The five year old lay huddled under her blanket, her stuffed bantha in her small hands and snoring softly. Light brown curls fell into her round face and again Kyp was astounded at how much she looked like her mother.

Satisfied that all was well, he walked on, stopping in front of his oldest son's room, not even needing to open the door to know that the boy was sleeping. His loud snores wafted throughout the entire hall and Kyp walked on with a raised eyebrow. For a moment he wondered where Kaleb got it from; Kyp knew for a fact that he never slept _that_ loud…

A few steps further down the hall, Kyp again halted, this time in front of his oldest daughter's room, Kaleb's twin sister. The door was slightly ajar and Kyp frowned as he heard nothing, not even the slightest soft breathing.

Instead – and he closed his eyes for composure as he realized this – he heard _something_ from the living area.

Taking a deep and steadying breath he listened closely and having been young himself, recognized the sounds of kissing immediately.

Kyp debated what to do next; he asked himself what his wife would do. He even went as far and asked himself what Luke Skywalker would do if he had caught Ben with a girl in his living room at four o'clock in the morning.

Sighing and closing his eyes for a split second – inwardly getting ready for whatever was to come –, he took a step towards the living area, raising a hand to touch the light switch.

On the one hand Kyp thought it was funny, being the one to break up the two teens on his sofa. The startled looks both of them gave him was a picture he would most likely never forget. But on the other hand, there was a strange boy in his apartment, halfway on top of his little girl, his hands in places he didn't even want to think about…

"Dad!" Rhea jumped off the sofa, one hand straightening the too-short black skirt she wore. Kyp cocked his head to the left, temporarily forgetting the boy and staring wide eyed at the lack of clothes his daughter had on her skin.

"What are you wearing?" Kyp asked, his tone neutral as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He refrained from tapping his foot, instead arching a dark eye brow.

Rhea shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious, crossing her arms in front of her nude midsection, "Uh…clothes, Dad." She cleared her throat, trying to change the subject with a smile, "I didn't think you'd be up this early."

"Clothes?" he echoed, ignoring her, "That skirt looks more like a damned pot holder, to me." He frowned, his eyes taking in the boy still seated on his couch. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded and the boy flushed. Dark blond hair was spiked up at least ten centimeters and the tips were frosted black. The boy wore ear rings and make-up.

Kyp wondered how many tattoos he already had, symbolic to his crime files…

In a fluid motion he stood up, "Jaered." He paused before adding a silent "sir".

"Leave." Kyp pointed towards the door.

"Dad, no! Calm down!" Rhea shook her head adamantly, a few strands of dark hair leaving the bunched up ponytail at the top of her head.

Kyp frowned, anger rising as well as his voice, "I wake up and find you here with a strange guy, half naked making out in my apartment, on my sofa? And you expect me to stay calm?!"

While saying this, his eyes drifted over to Jaered who was standing next to Rhea, the look on his face one of silent fear.

"It's…" Rhea sighed, "It's not what it looks like." Her voice was barely audible as the lame excuse echoed in her ear, "Please, Dad, can't we just talk about this?"

"No. Out!" He was only a micro second away from pushing Jaered out of his apartment but it seemed the boy had more brains than Kyp had thought and he nodded and made his way to the door.

Rhea hurried behind him and Kyp rubbed his hands over his face.

"You didn't tell me your Dad was a Jedi!" he heard Jaered hiss and despite himself Kyp had to chuckle.

"I didn't think it was important." Rhea answered.

"Well, it is!" there was a definite note of fear in Jeared's voices, "Your Dad could split me in half!"

Rhea laughed, "He could not. The things you hear on the holonet are exaggerations, you silly boy."

And there they went on with kissing. Frustration settled in and Kyp closed his eyes again and took another deep breath. And another. And another.

When Rhea finally returned, she stood her ground and began tapping her foot on the ground. She got that from her mother.

"Dad, you just totally embarrassed me!" she shouted, tears in her dark eyes.

Kyp gave her an unbelieving stare and was about to respond when Kaleb entered the living room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He was still wearing the same wrinkled clothes from the day before and Kyp silently wondered if the boy ever changed. "What's all the screaming about?" he asked, yawning loudly.

"Dad's being an ass, that's what!"

Kyp's eyes widened and he finally decided to take on the stance his wife always used in situations like this; hands on his hips and tapping his foot on the ground, he stared Rhea down, "How is that you think you're in a position to argue with me?"

Kaleb rubbed his eyes some more and chuckled as he took in his sister's new set of clothes, "You are _so_ in for it, sis." He turned around and still yawning, went back to bed.

"You know what?" Kyp said, throwing his arms up in defeat, "We'll talk about this in the morning."

"It already is morning, Dad." Rhea said, pouting.

Kyp nodded, "Yeah, about that. I distinctly remember telling you to be home by midnight, correct?"

Rhea didn't say a word but the trembling of her lower lip suggested she was close to breaking down crying.

"Well, since I was still up past midnight, consider yourself grounded for the remainder of the week."

"But, Dad –"

He held up a finger, "No buts. Now get to bed."

Defiantly crossing her arms in front of her chest, she hurried past her tired father. The door to her room closed and Kyp could hear her quiet sobs. He felt sorry for her but he felt even sorrier for himself at that moment.

"How do you do it?" he asked aloud, for the hundredth time wishing his wife was home.

Thena sat at the table, her short legs swinging back and forth, barely touching the carpeted floor. With a spoon in her hand and in between looks at the entertainment system –the same show with the same song as the day before on repeat –, she stuffed breakfast into her mouth, trying to chew too much at the same time.

Rhea grimaced as she watched her sister spit half her cereal back into her bowl. "That's disgusting."

Thena, still holding her stuffed toy in the other hand, grinned a toothy smile, "It's fun." She said.

Kaleb slouched into the living area, dressed in a long white shirt and sandy brown pants, a belt fastened around his narrow hips. He looked more like his father than he wanted to.

Rhea frowned at her brother, "Where are you going?"

"Meeting some friends." Kaleb passed by the kitchen counter, grabbed a piece of fruit and took a deep bite, "Where's Dad?" he asked in between chewing and swallowing.

"Taking a shower." Thena answered, her dark eyes still glued to the entertainment system. A large, yellow and green dotted bantha cub jumped through the hologram, a bunch of kids behind it and all of them began their song anew.

"Isn't it kind of early to be meeting your friends now?" Rhea asked, taking a sip of her Jawa juice. Kaleb snorted, "Says the girl who stayed out aaaaaaall night and comes home with the jerk who wants to get laid."

Thena frowned, "You brought a boy home?"

Rhea ignored her, getting to her feet to defend Jaered, "He's not a jerk! He's a good guy, for your information."

Kaleb, still chewing, jumped onto the kitchen counter and nodded, "Yeah, I bet."

"What's laid?" Thena asked in an innocent voice, eyeing her brother. Kaleb waved her question away, "I'll you tell you when you're older."

Thena shrugged, her attention fixated back onto her yellow and green dotted bantha cub.

A few minutes later Kyp emerged from the bathroom, his wet hair bound together in the nape of his neck. Instead of his usual Jedi robes, he had chosen civilian attire, a dark blue shirt with dark pants.

"Good morning." He said, giving each of his children a peck on the cheek. Well, except Rhea.

She turned her back to him, putting on her pouty face again. Kyp ignored her, pouring himself a cup of caf and enjoying as the bitter liquid found its way down his throat.

"Uh…Dad?" Kaleb asked, jumping off the kitchen counter and stealing Rhea's juice. He gulped it down, ignoring her stare, "I need fifty credits."

A perfect morning would have played out a little differently, in Kyp's opinion. A long, hot shower – preferably a bath even – with a wonderful, tasty breakfast and warm caf on the side. The sun would be shining, his children would behave and would be quiet and there would be no annoying and nerve wracking children songs.

Kyp sighed, "For what?" he asked, finishing his cup and pouring himself another.

"I'm meeting a few friends in about an hour. We wanted to hang out."

Kyp arched an eyebrow, "What about your allowance?"

Rhea chuckled, "Spend it all, no doubt."

Kaleb narrowed his eyes at his sister, "I used it all up for speeder parts." He cleared his throat, "I'll pay you back. You know I will."  
Kyp made a face and handed him the credit chit, he had stashed in his back pocket.

"Thanks!" Kaleb exclaimed, hurrying back into his room to collect his shoes.

"That's so not fair!" Rhea said, getting to her feet and trying to stare her father down, "He always gets everything he wants!" She stormed out of the kitchen and headed to her room.

Kyp sighed, taking another gulp of caf.

"Dad?" Thena asked, finally taking her eyes off the yellow and green dotted bantha cub, to sweetly smile up towards her father.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"What's laid?"

Kaleb had left shortly after having breakfast and Rhea had locked herself inside her room, listening to something she considered to be music. To Kyp's ears it was noise, nothing more.

He knocked on Rhea's door a few times, asking her politely to turn down the "music". He didn't know if she didn't hear him or if she chose not to but he was slowly getting fed up with his daughter's attitude.

He thought to himself, if they would ever think about renovating, he'd make sure the place was soundproofed.

Heaving a sigh and returning back to the living area – he had finally persuaded Thena to shut off the entertainment system – he sat down in front of his com console und dialed up the janitorial frequency. A young man about Kaleb's age answered, the look on his face one of boredom. Kyp supposed it was the newest sickness taking over the galaxy's young people: boredom.

"I need you to do me a favor." Kyp said, one hand going through his dark hair, "Could you cut the power to only one room in the apartment?"

The young man nodded, "Of course, Sir."

"Good. Second room on the left through the hall. And please be quick about it."

The man laughed, his gaze going somewhere Kyp couldn't see, "Already done." And instantly it grew quiet. The noise was gone and Kyp could finally hear himself think again, "Thank you." He cut the connection and counted in his head.

_1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6…_

Needless to say Rhea stormed out utterly angry but she didn't lash out at him, as he had expected. Instead she started talking in a low voice, "Could you please put the power back on?"

Kyp gave her an innocent look, "What makes you think I had anything to do with it?" He got up from the com console, moving down the hall towards Thena's room. She was sitting on the floor, playing with a few dolls her aunt had given her. "How about a bath?" he asked her and the little girl nodded, "Can I bring my toys?"

Kyp nodded, "Sure." He walked further down the hall, Rhea trailing behind him – silently – but had an aura of poutiness about her, "Dad, all I wanted to do was listen to some music. Please put the power back on."

With his back turned to her, he hid a small smile. He wondered, if he had had the chance, if he would have been just as difficult as a teen. And for that matter, he wondered what his parents would have done in the same situation.

"You know, being grounded usually means thinking about what you did wrong. And not shaking the entire building with that noise you call music."

Rhea sighed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and leaning against the door frame of the 'fresher. "I'll keep it down then. But it helps me think."

Kyp let the water run and turned around frowning, "It helps you think?"

"Yeah, Dad, it does. It's this new band everyone's talking about, _The Borderline Toxics_. The lyrics are so profound, Dad, I swear. And their songs are really really great. And they get me thinking in different directions, you know? Sort of, thinking outside the box."

Kyp grabbed a bottle of bubble bath from a shelf – the picture on the front the same yellow bantha cub with the green dots – and poured a hand full into the tub. It smelled of extraordinarily sweet candy.

"The Borderline Toxics?" He let the name go through his head a few times but said nothing more. "Fine." He said, walking past Rhea to fetch Thena, "Once I'm done giving your sister a bath, you can listen to your _profound_ lyrics some more. But keep it down."

Rhea smiled and to Kyp's surprise gave him a peck on the cheek. She hurried back into her room, closing the door but not locking it.

"Thena?" Kyp called and the little girl came towards him already unclothed with a large towel in her hands. She ran past him towards the fresher and with one leap jumped into the tub. From the hall, Kyp could see the water splash against the walls, onto the floor, even up on the ceiling.

Closing his eyes for a split second he took a deep breath.

"Dad!" the little girl called, blowing bubbles in all sorts of directions, "I forgot my toys."

Returning with her blond dolls, he sat at the edge of the tub, watching Thena. Just for a moment she closed her eyes and suddenly began to giggle. Out of his three children, Thena had been the one to inherit the most Force potential and every chance she got to show off in front of her Dad, she did.

A handful of bubbles rose into the air, spiraling about, abruptly changing directions to little Thena's pleasure. She giggled as she maneuvered a large bubble towards her fathers head, placing it on top of his dark hair.

There was a light in her eyes when she accomplished things others couldn't do; her entire face lit up with this light and Kyp was again so proud of his little girl.

The Force potential she had inherited from him but her long, curly hair, her dark brown eyes and her temperament were definitely her mother's traits.

She was his little angel.

"Having fun?" he asked with a smile. Thena nodded, splashing more water into the air.

He watched her a while, his thoughts going here and there when he was suddenly interrupted by the com console. He sighed, "I'll be right back." He got up and hurried through the hall, Rhea right behind him as she exited her room.

The look on her face was one of concern and her brow furrowed. "What?" Kyp asked feeling alarm emanating from the girl. "It's Kaleb."

A bad feeling settled into the pit of his stomach. The twins usually always knew what the other was feeling, be it happiness or sorrow or fear or pain.

Kyp answered the call and his eyes widened as he gazed into the stern face of a Coruscant Security Officer, "Master Durron, I'm calling on behalf of your son." He said, his tone as neutral as it could get, "We'll have to ask you to come pick him up from the station."

It took a moment for Kyp to completely understand what the officer had just said and he coughed to clear his throat, "Uh…would you mind telling me what this is about?"

The Officer shook his head, "I'm sorry, Sir. I'm not authorized to give out information on an insecure line."

Kyp touched the bridge of his nose, "Alright. I'll be right there."

"Main Precinct, Sir." The Security Officer cut the comm.

Kyp sat for a very long moment, listening to his surroundings, counting his steady heart beat and hoping that Kaleb was alright. Drawing on the Force he briefly touched his son and all he felt was apprehension. At least the boy wasn't hurt.

"Rhea, I need you to watch your sister until I get back." She nodded, worry etched onto her pretty face. Kyp passed her, gathering his coat into his arms and pulling on his boots.

Rhea stood with her hands digging into her pants pockets and she radiated even more worry. Her father planted both his hands on her shoulders and smiled encouragingly, "Hey. Everything will be fine. Don't you worry so much."

"He's never gotten into trouble before." She whispered.

Kyp shrugged, "As the saying goes: there's a first time for everything." He ruffled her hair, "Your sister's still in the bathtub. I'll be back soon."

Kyp hurried and jumped into his yellow speeder. Backing out of his lot way too fast, he almost collided with another driver. Smiling and apologizing with a wave, he hurried into the vast traffic lane.

It took him longer than expected to finally arrive at the Security station. It was mid day and either people were getting off work, on their way too work or had nothing better to do than plug the lanes.

He parked the speeder and ran towards the entrance. The inside of the building smelled new as if the place had been refurbished recently. An elderly woman sat at the front desk, her eyes glued to a monitor in front of her. Officers and delinquents alike mulled about and there was a constant buzzing of talk in the background.

"Excuse me?" Kyp said and the lady looked up, "Hi. Uh…I got a call just a few minutes ago that my son had been…well, arrested I suppose?"

"Name, please?"

"Kaleb Durron."

The lady nodded, tapped a few keys on the board in front of her and pointed down the hall, "Third door to your right. Just head on in." Kyp nodded and thanked the lady, his heart racing at what was to come.

Force, he hoped Kaleb wasn't in too much trouble.

He marched into the room and was relieved to see Kaleb up and well. More or less.

Kaleb stood at a large window, overlooking the city but even with his back halfway towards Kyp, the Jedi could see a large bruise forming beneath the boy's eye. A long, ugly looking dark red gash beneath his lip was bleeding; all in all, his boy looked like crap.

"What the hell happened?" Kyp asked incredulously. Kaleb turned around, sighing heavily, "I'm sorry, Dad. I don't know how this could have happened."

The door swished aside once more, a large bully-like Officer entering with a pad in his hand. His smile wasn't a friendly one and Kyp supposed he was one of those Bad-Guy cops you read about in zines or on the holonet.

"Jedi Master Durron. It's a pleasure to meet you." The Officer said, extending his hand, "I'm Lieutenant Neals." He indicated for Kyp to take a seat and he did so.

"What's this about, Lieutenant?"

Neals steepled his fingers, no doubt a stance to intimidate him but instead Kyp just arched an eyebrow. It took more than an overgrown bully to intimidate the Jedi Master.

"We have two charges." The Officer explained, "First, there's the issue of illegal speeder racing. We caught an entire group of kids this morning, your son being among them."

Kyp gave Kaleb a dark look; the boy shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"And secondly, young Kaleb's been charged with assault and battery."

Kyp touched the bridge of his nose, clearing his throat, "Kaleb." He said in a low tone – a definite sign that he was mightily angry, "Mind explaining yourself?"

"Can't you just get me out of here?"

"I'm inclined to leave you here. What were you thinking?"

"Dad!" He said this in a whiny tone of voice, "I didn't get into a fight just for the hell of it. And it's not even entirely my fault!"

Kyp shrugged, "I'm listening. And this better be good."

"Well, we participate in these speeder races a lot." At the look of both older men he held up his hands, "I know it's wrong and I know it's illegal but I have to admit, it's a hell of a lot of fun. Anyway, this time there was this new guy. Our team hadn't seen him before and we didn't think he'd be a threat."

"A threat?" Kyp echoed.

Kaleb nodded, "The stake of the race is your speeder. If you lose, you lose your ride. Simple as that."

"And I'm guessing you lost?"

Kaleb leaned against his chair, sighing, "The idiot cheated. The rules are simple. We race with normal speeder parts. Upgrading is strictly forbidden. So after the race I found out that the guy had absolutely tuned the speeder, which is why he won. I have _never_ lost a race before."

"Ah. So you not only lost your vehicle, your ego got a scratch, too, huh?"

"It's not even about that." One hand went through his disheveled dark hair, "This'll sound stupid, but it's not honorable. You race and you race fairly or you don't race at all. It's just not right." He sighed, "So I went up to the guy wanting to talk this through. And he came up into my face, calling names and bringing the family in, too. I'm sorry, Dad, I just couldn't let that sit."

"Who threw the first punch."

It seemed Kaleb slouched even further, "I did."

"Lieutenant Neals," Kyp said, "Is he free to go?"

The Officer nodded, "I need your signature on a few flimsies and there'll be a hearing, just to let you know."

After getting all the paperwork done, Kyp and Kaleb walked back to the yellow speeder. Silently.

As they sat side by side, Kyp moving the vehicle back into the traffic lane, he heaved a sigh, "Did you at least win the damned fight?"

From the corner of his eye he saw his son grin, "Of course, Dad."

_It had only been a minute. A single minute! _

Rhea muttered a string of curses as she ran back into the living room, wanting to throw something against the wall in frustration. She bit down on her teeth – hard – and took calming breaths.

Thena sat on the carpeted floor in the living area, a handful of various silver, glittery objects lying around her.

Rhea shook her head, "He never leaves without it!" she called, "Why now? And why the hell did you have to start taking it apart?"

Thena glanced up from the dissembled lightsaber and smiled, "Because it's fun."

"Dad is going to kill us." Rhea said, trying to keep her voice even, "When he walks through that door, you'd better have it fixed!"

Thena loved taking things apart and putting them back together. The metal felt cold in her hands at first but then warmed up the longer she held the parts. The scent was interesting, too. But the thing she was fascinated about the most was the purple crystal.

Her Dad had once explained to her why his blade was purple. But since he usually always took his saber with him, she could never take a look herself.

Rhea had been preoccupied using the com unit and Thena had seized the moment.

It hadn't even taken too long, Thena thought, as she bit her lower lip and narrowed her eyes. She held the purple crystal between her small fingers, moving it around in the light and admiring the different colors within.

It was a thing of beauty. She wished she could keep it. But Thena knew her Dad would be more than just angry if he came home and his blade was suddenly pink or blue or yellow with green dots.

"Put it back together!" Rhea hissed.

Thena frowned, "Stop rushing me. Or I'll let you do it."

The little girl knew Rhea was no good with mechanics. When it had been her turn to build her own lightsaber, she had almost blown the entire academy to pieces. Well, as far as Kaleb had said. But Kaleb was known to exaggerate a lot.

Rhea stopped pacing, clearing her throat and letting herself fall onto her knees. She smiled sweetly but Thena frowned, since she knew Rhea was only pretending to be nice, "Please, Thena. Could you hurry up? Please?"

Thena thought about it. She hadn't gotten her father to get mad at her in a very long time. And the last time he was angry, he'd gotten over it fairly quick. She frowned as she was suddenly struck with realization that, supposed her Dad got back home too early and found his lightsaber disembodied like this, she'd be stuck in the house with Rhea for a very long time.

The both of them would be grounded. And she wouldn't be allowed to watch the holo vids anymore. And none of her friends could come over.

Thena sat back and cocked her head to one side. But if she didn't get the saber fixed in time, Rhea would be in even more trouble, since she was supposed to be watching her.

Thena smiled mischievously, "I want credits."

Rhea swallowed, then coughed, "What?"

"I can fix the lightsaber before Dad comes back home. Or I can take my time, tell him that I got bored because you were on the com unit talking to your new boyfriend."

"You wouldn't!"

Thena smiled the smile of her mother, "Give me credits and I'll hurry up and no one will know."

Rhea narrowed her eyes, "You're five, for Force's sake!"

Thena sighed, shifting her gaze back to the parts on the floor, "Now, where was that one part I need…" With exaggerated care she searched the carpet, picking up the wanted piece of metal and going over it with her index finger.

Rhea watched in silence as Thena attached the small metal piece onto the handle of the lightsaber. "I could go a whole lot faster, Rhea."

The older girl jumped to her feet, "Fine!" she yelled, "How much?"

She couldn't believe she was doing this. Her little sister, the five year old cute, beautiful little girl, was bribing her!

Thena smiled, "Twenty will do just fine. "

"Why do you want twenty credits for?" Rhea asked, rummaging through her pants pockets for a few coins.

Thena shrugged, "Just because."

And then suddenly Rhea grew very still. The look on her face was one of anxiety and Thena reached out to the Force and suddenly touched the minds of her brother and her father. Who seemed very, very near.

"Hurry up." Rhea hissed, picking up the pieces of the lightsaber and running into Thena's room. She dumped the metal pieces under Thena's blankets and shoved the little girl into her room, "Finish it, Thena!"

The door to the girls' room closed just as the front door opened and two male voices drifted in.

"How do you plan on getting your speeder back?" Rhea heard her father's voice and frowned slightly. Kaleb had lost the speeder? She had known about the races and had sworn not to say anything. Well, all secrets got out eventually.

She straightened up, hoping that her father wouldn't catch the anxiety within the Force. Goodness, she hoped Thena would be done on time.

Rhea walked into the living area, stopping in her tracks as she took in the bruises on her brothers face, "What happened?" she gasped.

Kaleb waved the questions away, moving passed her into the refresher. She glanced at her father, "Fight." Was all he said as he headed to the kitchen area. He came back out with a steaming cup of caf in his hands.

Slowly he moved towards the sofa, letting himself fall and closing his eyes. Rhea sat down opposite him on one of the large chairs, fidgeting with her hands, still hoping Thena would come out any minute, the lightsaber back to its original form.

"What have you two been up to?" Kyp asked and Rhea jumped. She coughed, "Nothing." She lied, "It was quiet." She smiled and Kyp narrowed his eyes.

Oh, God…

That was _the_ look. _The look_.

The look that told every child that he knew something was going on. The look that told you not to mess with him. The look that told you he was sure as hell going to find out what went wrong.

Rhea suddenly felt a headache coming on.

"You sure?"

Rhea nodded, shifting her gaze around the room and her breath caught in her throat. Right beside Kyp's foot lay another piece of the lightsaber. Rhea gulped instantly wondering how she could get that little, stupid, tiny piece into Thena's room without Kyp noticing.

Absent-mindedly Rhea rubbed her throat and nodded with a fake smile. Kyp so knew she was hiding something and she was utterly grateful when Kaleb came back into the living area, having changed into a pair of sweats and a plain white shirt.

He really did look a mess.

"What happened to you?" Rhea asked again, feeling her father's gaze on her back as she turned towards her brother.

Kaleb told her about the race, about losing his speeder and getting into a fight with the new guy. Rhea didn't know what to say and was about to ask another question when Kyp's too cool voice stopped her, "Where's your sister?"

Rhea cleared her throat again, scratching the top of her head. It was not a good idea to lie. Especially to her father. He knew something was up. He always did.

"In her room."

Kyp got up, setting his cup of caf on the table. Rhea closed her eyes, waiting for an explosion of sorts she had yet to see. Thena had dismantled his lightsaber. His prized Jedi possession. This could not be a good thing.

Kaleb frowned at her and arched a brow, "What's going on?"

"Dad forgot his lightsaber when he went to pick you up." Kaleb understood immediately. Thena had always tinkered with things, knowing full well that she wasn't supposed to.

"Ouch." Kaleb hid a smile and sat down next to his sister on the other large chair, "Did she get it fixed?"

Rhea pointed to the floor at the single piece of metal and Kaleb shook his head, "Well, I'm glad it wasn't me this time."

And no sooner had he said this Kyp came back into the living area. Rhea couldn't define the expression on his face but he radiated anger. Well, that was actually understating the fact.

She chose not to say anything. Which was a very wise move.

Thena came walking into the living area, eyes to the floor and hurried to stand next to Rhea.

Seconds seemed to stretch into minutes and neither of the family said a word. Kaleb was having a real hard time to keep a straight face and Rhea was hating him for this. She had the feeling that she and her sister were in way more trouble then Kaleb even though he had lost his speeder.

"Do you know –" Kyp stopped, a hand going through his disheveled hair. He swallowed and shook his head, "What did you think to accomplish with this, Thena?" he asked in a controlled voice but the anger was about boiling over.

Thena lowered her head but said nothing.

"Do you not understand how dangerous this weapon is?" He shook his head, "Your mother and I have explained to you over and over and over again that you are not to _ever_ touch any of our lightsabers, have we not?"

Thena nodded.

"Speak up."

"Yes."

"Then why did you do it? You could've gotten yourself hurt! Or even worse."

Thena looked up, tears stinging her eyes, "I'm sorry, Daddy."

Kyp shook his head, pacing back and forth, "I guess it's partly my fault for leaving it here. But I can't excuse this, Thena." He stopped and stared her down, the disappointment in his youngest daughter evident in his dark stare, "I need to think this over."

Thena nodded and without another word hurried back into her room. She dumped the blanket with the lightsaber parts onto the floor in the hall before closing the door.

"Weren't you watching her?" Kyp asked Rhea in a muted voice.

"I swear, I only turned my back on her for a few minutes."

Kyp walked back into the hall, picked up the pieces of his weapon, "Is this everything?"

The anger was swelling as Rhea dropped the last piece onto the blanket in her father's hands. He moved passed her into his own bedroom and shut the door behind him.

Kyp lay on his bed and closed his eyes. This day had not been an easy one. He rolled his eyes as he took a quick glance at the chrono. It wasn't even evening yet.

He sat up, taking a deep breath and seating himself in front of the small, personal com unit. After all the excitement today, he wanted to talk with his wife.

He needed to hear her voice, see her smile, see those beautiful dark eyes...

Kyp sighed.

He didn't want to disturb her vacation. But he knew she'd want him to; she'd said so before she had left. If anything went wrong, if he needed her, she'd come right back.

He dialed up the frequency and waited a long moment and when she answered a great weight seemed to have been lifted off his shoulders. Her dark eyes smiled at him, her beautiful dark hair surrounded her pretty face.

He wished he could touch her, be with her…

"Everything alright?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

Kyp smiled and nodded, "Only wanted to hear you voice." He said but he knew she'd sense the lie. But she didn't press on, "How're the kids doing?"  
He didn't tell her about the incident with Kaleb, didn't tell her about Thena's desire to break things. Instead he just smiled, "The usual."

She frowned, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm just tired."

They kept silent for a moment. Kyp sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Honestly? I wish you were back home. I miss you"

"You know what, I'll take the next flight back."

"I don't want to ruin your vacation, sweetheart."

She dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand, "The place is great but it's not home. I miss the hectic. And I miss you." She blew him a kiss and smiled, "I'll be home in a few hours."

"I love you, Jaina."

She smiled, "I love you, too."  
He cut the com and sat back in his chair, rubbing his hands over his face. Jaina would be home soon. How he missed her…

He turned back to his bed, annoyed by the fact that he had a lightsaber to reassemble.

For a moment he closed his eyes, taking deep and steadying breaths. He walked into the living area, called Thena and when she was standing in front of him, averting her gaze he smiled, "You'll still receive your punishment but I thought you might want to help put this thing back together." He said and Thena looked up surprised.

"I'll be here to help and look out but since you tore it apart, I think it's best for you to put it back together."

Thena nodded and sat beside her father on the soft bed, "I am really sorry, Daddy."

He ruffled her hair and nodded.


End file.
